Debunked: Gulf of Mexico oil spill conspiracies

[Cairenn]

This is my first time to post these as an organized set with the debunks in place. Since there are several different ones, I will try to list them all here and then start debunking each one. I am open to suggestions on this.

The blowout of the Macondo well (owned by BP) and the sinking of the Deep Water Horizon rig has spawned a remarkable number of conspiracy theories. I will deal with some of the better known ones first.

1) The blow out was intentional. There are several 'flavors' to this one.
a) It was done to allow Haliburton's new purchase, Boots and Coots to make money from the cleanup
b) It was part of some plan to depopulate the Gulf coast. Either in order to fill it with refineries and chemical plants, or so it can be turned into algae farms (to make fuel) or as part of a global depopulation scheme. Jesse Ventura has promoted that theory
c)It was an act of war or terrorism, and it was torpedoed by either N Korea, Iran, China or even Russia
d) It was a test of a new US energy weapon. This one also has the well being sealed with either the same weapon or with a nuclear bomb. It continues that the sea floor is fractured. Most of these are linked to BK Lim of Malaysia.

2) BP has been killing off whistle blowers.

3)Corexit is a deadly toxin and using it made many folks ill and/or it killed them. It is still being sprayed at sea on on land. I doubt if anyone is would be surprised to find the chem trail folks in that group of believers

4)Synthia, was used in the clean up and it is the cause of deaths, injuries and the 'blue plague'

5)The loss of the oil, has left a void which will collapse in time and cause a major tsunami that will wipe out much of the Gulf coast--back to 1 b above

I think that is a good start for this

 

[Cairenn]

I am going to start with 2) because I wrote this up for another site

This is story that has been circulated. I believe that it originated on the FB site Real Coastal Warriors. This is edited some

Dead-Missing-Jailed BP WHISTLEBLOWERS
SOURCE: REAL COASTAL WARRIORS

http://bpwhistleblowers.blogspot.com/

Gregory Stone
February 17, 2011 - LSU scientist Gregory Stone, 54 - Unknown Illness

Anthony Nicholas Tremonte
January 26, 2011 - age 31 - Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officer, from Ocean Springs arrested on child porn charge

Dr. Thomas B. Manton
January 19, 2011 - former President and CEO of the International Oil Spill Control Corporation - imprisonment and subsequent murder while jailed

John P. Wheeler II
December 31, 2010 - a former Pentagon official and presidential aide and a defense consultant and expert on chemical and biological weapons - was beaten to death in an assault, body was discovered in a Wilmington landfill

James Patrick Black
November 23, 2010 - an incident commander for BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill response team, died Tuesday night near Destin, Florida in a small plane crash'

Chitra Chaunhan
November 15, 2010 - age 33, worked in the USF Center for Biological Defense and Global Health Infectious Disease Research - Found dead in an apparent suicide by cyanide at a Temple Terrace hotel. She leaves behind a husband and a young child.

Dr. Jeffrey Gardner, Swan Doctor
November, 2010 - MIA Status, of Lakeland, FL - Swan expert who "ran into legal trouble over an expired prescription license has closed his practice" — Was investigating unexplained bird deaths near Sarasota abruptly and immediately closed his practice, and apparently his investigation into the deaths of swans in Sarasota, suspected to have been impacted by the BP Oil Disaster. No one has heard or spoken with him since. Watch this news report covering his investigation before his disappearance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqbx2TnbYlc&feature=player_embedded

Roger Grooters, Cyclist
October 6, 2010 - age 66, was hit by a truck as he passed through Panama City, Florida. Mr. Grooters had been knocked down and killed close to the end of a 3,200-mile trans-America charity ride to raise awareness about the Gulf Coast oil disaster. He began his cross-country bike ride in Oceanside, California, on September 10th. Grooters's family and friends will cycle the final stretch of the journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic in his honour, raising cash to support Gulf Coast families. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ico-oil-spill-charity-ride.html#ixzz1G4s6su96

Senator Ted Stevens
August 9, 2010 - Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, 86, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, was among nine people on board when the 1957 DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter, crashed into a brush- and rock-covered mountainside Monday afternoon about 17 miles north of the southwest Alaska fishing town of Dillingham, federal officials said. Stevens was the recipient of a whistleblower's communication relative to the BP Oil Disaster blow-out preventer, and a conspiracy of secrecy to hide the facts from the public. (http://beforeitsnews.com/story/132/..._Preventer_Was_A_Problem._Was_He_Whacked.html)

"You and your fellow Committee members may wish to require BP to explain what action was ultimately instituted to cease the practice of falsifying BOP tests at BP Prudhoe drilling rigs. It was a cost saving but dangerous practice, again endangering the BP workforce, until I exposed it to Senator Ted Stevens, the EPA, and the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission." The cause of the crash is still an OPEN investigation by the NTSB (http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=ANC10MA068&rpt=p)

Matthew Simmons
August 13, 2010 - age 67 - Simmons' body was found Sunday night in his hot tub, investigators said. An autopsy by the state medical examiner's office concluded Monday that he died from accidental drowning with heart disease as a contributing factor - "It was painful as can be" to be only insider willing to speak out against the "officials" during the BP Oil Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico

Scientist Joseph Morrissey
April 6, 2010 - age 46 - cell biologist and college professor, a near-native Floridian who chose to return to South Florida after studying at elite universities - was fatally shot during what police say was a home invasion robbery.

 

[Cairenn]

Now to look at their list---I think I will divide them up some to make it easier

February 17, 2011
His specialty was wind,waves and currents, there is NOTHING anywhere that says he involved in studies on the oil spill---no mention of cause of death

Anthony Nicholas Tremonte
January 26, 2011
This is the Marine Resources officer that was accused of having child porn on his computer. With a few minutes of checking, I found he was no billed and that the same thing had happened to several other 'officials' in that county. I found where there was going to be an investigation of those that filed the charges
He isn't dead or in prison. WHY is he listed?

Dr. Thomas B. Manton
January 19, 2011
There seems to little available on his company, other than mentions by other activists. All of those sites also fail to mention WHY he was doing a 15 year sentence in prison. Child pornography was the charge

John P. Wheeler II
December 31, 2010
According to the conspiracy folks he was going to 'blow the whistle' on how the oil spill caused the bird deaths in Ark on early Jan1 , 2011. That would have been an interesting 'whistle blow' since his body was FOUND before the deaths happened. (another conspiracy theory is floating around that he was going to tell how their deaths were caused by 'poison gas' the Army was storing in Ark --it had been found in Iraq---there is still the date problem)

James Patrick Black
November 23, 2010 -
He was flying with some family members and his nephew was piloting the plane---it went down in a heavy fog

 

[Cairenn]

Chitra Chaunhan
November 15, 2010 - age 33,
This is good one, since there is NOTHING to indicate that she was investigating anything connected to the spill.

Dr. Jeffrey Gardner, Swan Doctor
November, 2010 - MIA Status, of Lakeland, FL -
It turns out that he SOLD his practice and he is now working with a swan 'rescue' group that he founded. I found recent pictures of him when they helped to move some swan in the UK---Not missing at all (his legal problems were linked to continuing to dispense drugs he did not have a license to dispense)

Roger Grooters, Cyclist
October 6, 2010 - age 66,
Why would they wait till the ride was nearly over? I think this says it best however

"dougmcApril 8, 2011 9:15 AM
Roger Grooters was my uncle. He wasn't a whistleblower, and it seems very unlikely that BP was involved in any way in his death.

That is comment on the blog that posted this

Senator Ted Stevens
August 9, 2010 - Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, 86,
They use 'articles' from 'BeforeItsNews' to support this---that site it full of conspiracy theories, right now they are thick in the 'Sandy Hook was a hoax' nonsense.

Matthew Simmons
August 13, 2010 - age 67 -
Really he was an 'insider'---Nope he was INVESTMENT banker, he had been FIRED by his company and he was under Fed investigation for 'insider trading' . He was involved in playing up the problems of the spill and the difficulty of ending it quickly, while he was BUYING BP stock at greatly reduced prices.

Scientist Joseph Morrissey
April 6, 2010 - age 46
This one was super easy, he died on April 6, the blow out happened on April 20, TWELVE DAYS BEFORE the spill.

 

[Cairenn]

Now to the start of the conspiracy theory about it

http://phoenixrisingfromthegulf.wor...he-gulf-of-mexico-is-dying-part-ii/#more-1333

http://www.jesseventura.net/conspiracy-theory/s02e07-the-gulf-oil-spill/

And where a lot of the persistent ones came from

https://www.facebook.com/BKLimGeo?ref=ts&fref=ts

This a Facebook page where a lot of theories are posted and then circulated outward

https://www.facebook.com/RealCoastalWarriors

 

[Cairenn]

I spotted this the other day

http://phoenixrisingfromthegulf.wor...he-gulf-of-mexico-is-dying-part-ii/#more-1333


Lots of nonsense there. Here are a few of them.


"Here's a very telling quote from a Geohazards Specialist who has tracked the developments at the Macondo with the skill and experience of a forensic geologist:

"The simplistic and geologically unrealistic aim of plugging a single tubular hole in a solid mass of rocks is as unreal and unstable as a "sand castle on the beach". After months of spewing a corrosive mix of gas, oil and brine into the fragile faulted Gulf Salt-Geology, even the most optimistic geologists would come to the grim conclusion that the 18,300 ft well is no longer the only vertical conduit out of the reservoir. In all probability, a complex multi-pathway monster has developed in its place. As said many times before, there is simply no way to put the genie back into the bottle".
~ BK Lim, Geohazard Expert (CV linked here)

That comes complete with a diagram


"What is particularly curious about this report is that it neglects to discuss the connection between the stunning degree of subsidence and the inordinate amount of oil and gas drilling which has been performed around the same area since the early 1930s. Bear in mind that it has been proven many times that removing vast amount of hydrocarbons from the earth will always create ideal circumstances for the earth to resettle and re-conform itself around the voluminous displacements which inevitably occur with the extraction process.

These begin as micro-displacements, which eventually aggregate into larger ones, that can ultimately effectuate macro-displacements such a earthquakes or other types of seismic activity. When these displacements occur near a fault line, they can trigger all manner of geological movements, from underwater landslides to shelf rearrangements. As we all know, the bigger the displacement, the greater the likelihood of a tsunami due to the resulting massive displacement of water."

There is subsidence, but how could it cause a tsunami? There is a possibility that a small earth quake may have been triggered in Spain, by the the removal of water, not oil.

and of course there must be a conspiracy to cover up the 'truth'.

2) Next the government, in collaboration with BP, sought to control all other public institutions like the OSATF (Oil Spill Academic Task Force in Florida). There are true advocates working in academic bodies like the OSATF; however, once they were included under the BIG UMBRELLA, everyone was expected to fall in line. Almost everyone did, with a few notable and courageous exceptions.
How it works is that if a geology professor were to break ranks, his department chairman might be contacted about a large pending government grant which 'might' be put into jeopardy. The ways of controlling those who are expert in the relevant academic disciplines are endless, and unfortunately have profoundly compromised the entire information gathering-process regarding the BP oil spill."



"(8) Controlled Opposition: This one is a real challenge because of how many are unwittingly controlled, and don't have a clue. Many who fall into that category have been used as instruments to undermine the true citizen advocates among us. The degree to which divide and conquer has been utilized with great effect through controlled opposition strategy is quite extraordinary. Until you have been a victim of such tactics, as the GOSRC has, you really can't imagine the extent to which your environmental or health advocacy can be paralyzed.
As for the Controlled Opposition which may be executed through a formal COINTELPRO Op, an organization must be set up like a CIA special task force where each member executes on a strictly need-to-know-basis and the entire operation is strictly compartmentalized, as well as completely firewalled where it concerns internet services, software and hardware.
Who in the world can ever practically function under such conditions?!"

 

[Thad Daly]

1 A-- Halloburton did start buying up Boots & Coots stock prior to the disaster. But did not have eniught for controlling interest until Sept 2010. B&C had no oil clean-up capability and did no work of any type on or related to the BP/MC252 disaster

"After months of spewing a corrosive mix of gas, oil and brine into the fragile faulted Gulf Salt-Geology, even the most optimistic geologists would come to the grim conclusion that the 18,300 ft well is no longer the only vertical conduit out of the reservoir. In all probability, a complex multi-pathway monster has developed in its place. As said many times before, there is simply no way to put the genie back into the bottle".
~ BK Lim, Geohazard Expert"

Oil and Gas are not corrosive, no brine was involve, Gulf Salt-Geology ? Must be a different gulf never is any formation in the GoM referred to as such and there no salt dome drld. Only one vertical conduit-- yes-- the blow out was through a cased wellbore'

 

[Pete Tar]

Hey Cairenn, do you know anything about this? Is the press censorship thing true?

Folks, this is a backyard picture of the Mayflower, AR oil spill on that Exxon pipeline. The local authorities have denied the press access to these areas so few have actually seen the extent of the spill. This picture was taken by a friend's daughter who lives next door to this house.

 

[Cairenn]

http://rt.com/usa/interstate-40-mayflower-arkansas-149/

I got that same picture and comment. I can't find any other mention of 'press censorship'. My guess is that they are limiting press access to the 'known' press.

One problem that turned up during the blow out, was all the 'on line press' folks. If you write for any of the content farms, you can claim to be a journalist and a member of the press. Many of those folks are wanting a sensational story and they will not always abide by rules. In the Gulf, some were found moving booms, cutting across them in ATVs and such. All the planes and copters, were causing a major air traffic headache. After 3 near collisions, the Coast Guard closed the air space.
The same had to be done to water access. One 'reporter' was upset, when he was not allowed access, because the CG ruled the boat he was going in on, unsafe. It didn't have any fire extinguishers !!!

This happened in a residential area and it is possible that local officials are limiting access, because of the chance of looters in homes. I will keep looking for more on it.

 

[Liam]

Hm, I have found very different informations about the background of the people you have mentioned, just to name Matthew Simmons as an example:

--Quote--:
Matthew Simmons
August 13, 2010 - age 67 -
Really he was an 'insider'---Nope he was INVESTMENT banker, he had been FIRED by his company and he was under Fed investigation for 'insider trading' . He was involved in playing up the problems of the spill and the difficulty of ending it quickly, while he was BUYING BP stock at greatly reduced
prices.

In fact, was avery knowledgable person regarding the oil business as well as an insider: He was founder and chairman emeritus of Simmons & Company International, and was a prominent figure in the field of peak oil. Simmons was motivated by the 1973 energy crisis to create an investment banking firm catering to oil companies. He served as an energy adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush and was a member of the National Petroleum Council and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Simmons was the author of the book Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy, published in 2005. His examination of oil reserve decline rates helped raise awareness of the unreliability of Middle East oil reserves He gave numerous presentations on Peak Oil and water shortages.
Also his predictions that the oil spill was much bigger then assumed in the beginning were proven to be true later on.

Simmons had never shorted a stock in his life. His move was completely opposite to the recommendation of the firm he founded and had just left.( He wasn't fired, he left himself, it was his company) Simmons and Company International issued a 'strong buy" for BP stock shortly after the blowout and rig fire. There no Federal Investigation on insider trade whatsoever.

 

[Liam]

1 A-- Halloburton did start buying up Boots & Coots stock prior to the disaster. But did not have eniught for controlling interest until Sept 2010. B&C had no oil clean-up capability and did no work of any type on or related to the BP/MC252 disaster

Sorry, I beg to differ.

At the time of the oil rig explosion, Halliburton was drilling at the base of the Deepwater Horizon. ONlyonly 11 days before, on April 9, 2010, Halliburton purchased Boots and Coots for a quarter of a billion dollars. They are the LARGEST OIL CLEAN UP COMPANY in the world And when the explosion took place 11 days later, Halliburton was there armed with Boots and Coots as they capitalized on their timely good fortune. Subsequently, Halliburton's profits increased 83% in just 3 months following the Gulf Oil Crisis.

 

[Cairenn]

Let's look at your comments on Matt Simmons first.

He was buying BP short and he admitted it

Simmons on why he is shorting BP stock:
"You bet I did. Because I thought BP was going to go under. I've been saying that for months and months and when I read that 20 of the 24 Wall Street analysts had a 'buys,' I said ' That's ridiculous, I'm going to short them.' I've never shorted a stock in my life before.

Not only was he selling them short, he was lying in order to drive the price lower. Look at his 'claims';

40% of the Gulf oxygen lost--NOPE
relief wells will not stop the oil spill--- they did and there was never any doubt that they would

'spewing 120,000 barrels a day into the Gulf----

according to the Flow Rate Technical Group, (FRTG) 62,000 barrels per day (9,900 m3/d) was a more realistic figure.

Simmons asserted that the relief wells and the capping process on the Macondo wellhead are publicity stunts and that the real vent is up to ten miles (16 km) away---The well was where BP said it was.

He said that an enormous pool of crude oil is accumulating below the sea floor, releasing poisonous gases and waiting to be whipped up by a hurricane.----No oil below the sea floor
was this giant plume about six miles (10 km) away, ---a plume of methane, not oil

huge layer of goo on the ocean floor---huge, no, and the goo was drilling mud from the wll

maybe it's a natural fracture --there was no fracture of any kind.


Why was he saying untruths?

He was forced out by his company.



Mr. Simmons, however, found himself in some hot water with Simmons & Company International in early June after he told Fortune magazine that BP would probably need to declare bankruptcy because of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. BP severed its relationship with the company after Mr. Simmons made the controversial comments. Simmons & Company distanced itself from Mr. Simmons's comments, and it announced in mid-June that said Mr. Simmons had stepped down as chairman and left the company

To: All
Sent: Wed May 12 15:37:30 2010
Subject: Simmons & Company Views and Clarification
Recent tragic events in the Gulf of Mexico have led to a period of collective introspection for the industry as well as a surplus of opinions. And sadly, the forensic evidence associated with this tragedy is far from complete and will likely take several months to assemble in order to formulate a more complete and informed narrative.
This is a highly-charged environment, as well as an exceedingly fluid one, as the prospects for abating the blowout and mitigating the spill are opaque. All of us are trying to better understand the cause and effect of the tragic blowout in the GOM and the implications for the upstream industry, especially as they relate to energy policy and the regulatory framework in the GOM.
Accordingly, we wish to remind industry participants, as well as our clients and friends, that the views of Simmons & Company International are separate and distinct from many of those being currently expressed by our good friend, founder and former Chairman, Matthew R. Simmons.
Several of the recent statements on the part of Mr. Simmons relating to the Macondo blowout and the implications for the industry and the individual companies involved in this incident are discordant with the views of Simmons & Company International. This accident has tragic consequences for the families of the deceased and injured, and potentially exceedingly serious ramifications for the principal companies involved in the MC252 well in addition to the natural habitat of the broader Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Coast areas. We view this tragedy as an unfortunate and isolated accident for an industry otherwise known for its steadfast devotion to safety. We believe constructive changes will be made in order to further enhance safety and that the future for offshore drilling will remain vital.
Separate and apart from the Macondo blowout, Mr. Simmons' views and opinions regarding the productivity of the North American unconventional natural gas and oil resource plays are in direct contradiction to the conclusions Simmons & Company International has reached from the in-depth and lengthy research we have conducted on the subject. Our view is that were it not for unconventional gas, the North American natural gas resource base, which is presently witnessing compelling productivity, may otherwise have entered into a period of sustained decline.
While our respective views, historically, have often been in harmony, over the past year they have significantly diverged on some important fronts.
Thank you for your consideration and support.
Respectfully,
Michael E. Frazier
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Simmons & Company International

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/lett...ning-from-simmons-and-co-2010-6#ixzz2ZnxRMx4c

Deepwater Horizon oil spill conjectures[edit]
Simmons made several controversial comments and predictions regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and BP's solvency, including:

• Talking with Bloomberg TV's Mark Crumpton, Lizzie O'Leary and Julie Hyman about BP's oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, Simmons said, "If it were my family I'd evacuate now, while you still have time".[13]

• During a June 9, 2010, interview with Fortune,[14] Simmons claimed that BP would "have about a month before they claim Chapter 11".

• On June 9, 2010, Simmons was interviewed by Barron's journalist Tieman Ray. Simmons disclosed that he personally held an 8,000 share short position in BP stock. As BP's stock price went lower, Simmons was benefiting financially amid fears of bankruptcy.[15]

• During a July 7, 2010, interview on CNBC[16] Simmons claimed that scientists were reporting the flow rate from the oil spill was "spewing 120,000 barrels a day into the Gulf" and that there have been estimates that we have "lost oxygen for 40% of the Gulf of Mexico". He further claimed that the relief wells will not stop the oil spill.

• A week later, during a July 15, 2010 interview with KPFK – Pacifica Los Angeles,[17] Simmons asserted that the relief wells and the capping process on the Macondo wellhead are publicity stunts and that the real vent is up to ten miles (16 km) away. He said that an enormous pool of crude oil is accumulating below the sea floor, releasing poisonous gases and waiting to be whipped up by a hurricane.

• Previously, on May 26 2010, Matthew Simmons was a guest on 'The Dylan Ratigan Show' on MSNBC, where he explained his reasons for believing that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill involved not only the leak being monitored by BP's video-camera-equipped ROVs remotely operated vehicles, but another, much bigger leak, several miles away.

" SIMMONS: ...when you look at the riser [on the live BP video], you realize that you're looking at a twenty-one-and-a-half inch circumference riser, and there looks like somewhere between a six and seven inch rip on the top. So the stuff coming out – it looks like a lot, but I actually saw a white fish go through it and come out white. So I said, this isn't the same as this brown, gooey, orange stuff that they found in the plume seven miles (11 km) away. And I still believe that what happened is that the riser blew off the wellhead, and it's hooked onto the rig; so you've got a mile of oil inside that that's pretty light concentrate. So that's what they're actually trying to get out. So it's not sure that – luckily they placed the top kill correctly. But now they have to see if it will take mud. It probably will take mud. But then they shouldn't delude themselves that they've stopped the spill; they should now go and say, 'Let's figure out what the plume was all about,' because if THAT'S the hole, and the casing blew out, we have an enormous problem.
RATIGAN: ...so you're saying that the video we're all now looking at right now is not the only leak, is that what you're saying?
SIMMONS: That's a tiny leak, and what the scientists are saying watching this stain spread – it's now bigger, I gather, than Maryland and Delaware, and several hundred feet thick, and it's gooey stuff – that's NOT coming out of there; they think that it's flowing at 120,000 barrels a day. It would almost have to be that big to flow that wide.
RATIGAN: And where do you believe the second outlet is relative to what we're seeing on the video, Matt?
SIMMONS: What the research vessel found a week ago Sunday [referring to news reports of May 16, 2010] was this giant plume about six miles (10 km) away, He said that an enormous pool of crude oil is accumulating below the sea floor, releasing poisonous gases and waiting to be whipped up by a hurricane.and then this huge layer of goo on the ocean floor... that's almost certain – I mean, maybe it's a natural fracture – I think that's where the wellhead is.

 

[BeachN]

http://rt.com/usa/interstate-40-mayflower-arkansas-149/

I got that same picture and comment. I can't find any other mention of 'press censorship'. My guess is that they are limiting press access to the 'known' press.

One problem that turned up during the blow out, was all the 'on line press' folks. If you write for any of the content farms, you can claim to be a journalist and a member of the press. Many of those folks are wanting a sensational story and they will not always abide by rules. In the Gulf, some were found moving booms, cutting across them in ATVs and such. All the planes and copters, were causing a major air traffic headache. After 3 near collisions, the Coast Guard closed the air space.
The same had to be done to water access. One 'reporter' was upset, when he was not allowed access, because the CG ruled the boat he was going in on, unsafe. It didn't have any fire extinguishers !!!

This happened in a residential area and it is possible that local officials are limiting access, because of the chance of looters in homes. I will keep looking for more on it.

The coast was a nightmare and I lived it. Dunes were blocked off from public view by ARMED GUARDS...The one location I am referring to was Alabama Point Pass. There was a dredge looking device way out in the water by the point and because of that they were not allowing anyone close enough to take pictures. I know a few scientist who were trying to do impact studies and had all their equipment taken. Workers were not allowed to wear mask because BP did not want the clean up to look as serious as it was health wise. If they saw anyone doing research they would ask you to leave. When digging down in the sand to see where the oil had been covered up by recent sand brought in, we were told we were not allowed to dig in the sand. I could go on and on ...but you have no clue what it was like here. The oil disaster was not being spoken about in the media. The TRUTH was not being put out due to fear of loosing tourist. Local and state governments were rewarded greatly so they kept their mouths shut. Doctors would not even discuss ailments that may have been caused by the high toxins that were in the air. I am 5 miles as the crow flies from the Gulf and the air here smelled awful. The Benzene smell was everywhere. There was only one doctor along the coast that I knew of that would deal with the health issues in an honest manner. My brother was Safety Director in Valdez during the Exxon tanker spill in Prince William sound. He later died from ALS. He knew the risk of breathing so much Benzine and toxic smoke from the burning oil. So much more I could tell you but I will leave it at this. Much went on that no one outside the area knew about.

 

[Cairenn]

Yes I do, I have a lot of friends down there and some of your comments are not true. The story about the doctors is not true. The EPA was monitoring the air quality and there was not a problem. Workers had masks and they choose to NOT wear them because or the heat. The dunes were protected because folks were damaging them, they were driving over oil booms and such.

The oil spill was all over the news, at least it was in Dallas.


Your brother's death due to ALS was not related to the Exxon Valdez cleanup.

 

[BeachN]

Yes I do, I have a lot of friends down there and some of your comments are not true. The story about the doctors is not true. The EPA was monitoring the air quality and there was not a problem. Workers had masks and they choose to NOT wear them because or the heat. The dunes were protected because folks were damaging them, they were driving over oil booms and such.

The oil spill was all over the news, at least it was in Dallas.


Your brother's death due to ALS was not related to the Exxon Valdez cleanup.

I did not say my brother's death was related. My nephews worked the Exxon spill as well and they are fine. As for air quality samples...Would you like to see one of their air quality testing stations they set up? Have you been able to get a listing of where exactly they took their "Air Quality" test? Other air quality samples were taken by independent sources that showed differently but I am not the person to ask that information of. Several particular days that EPA said the air quality was good was an out and out lie. It was not good outside of my home and I am in Pensacola. We knew from experience that EPA test results were not reliable at all. If you choose to believe that then go ahead as I will not debate the truth with you or anyone else. I lived it and I was in touch with many other family members in the Louisiana and Mississippi area who also lived it.
There were local interviews done early on with many workers who stated they were not allowed to wear respirators. I saw these interviews personally myself. Look for them.. They are still out there.
As far a news coverage , of course it was on the news in Dallas that is a coastal state. It was in the LOCAL news up and down the coast. I corresponded with many up north who had no clue what was going on down here. Many of the readers of The Real Coastal Warriors, while I was admin there, shared our site because it was the only place they could see what was going on. I was personally in touch with many who were involved with politics that had no clue . We shared storied on Lisa Jackson's EPA Deepwater info site every day. We shared our views with her and each other. That is how we all became interconnected . Yes there was a frustrating amount of BS everyday but we weeded through it the best we could in order to share the truth. If there were any other doctors willing to discuss the respiratory issues caused by the Benzene and Corexit in the air I never ran into any of them. I talked to several and they were not willing to say anything absolute due to the fact that they did not want to get involved or called out on doing so. Perhaps your experience was different than mine . Maybe so but that does not mean I am incorrect because my experience was different than yours. I resent the way you have worded that remark. This is a site dedicated to the truth am I correct? I speak the truth for what I experienced . Because you did not experience the same does not mean I am being untruthful. I held out hope that this was a place where truth would indeed be shared but the manner in which you choose to do so leaves something to be desired.

 

[Hama Neggs]

I will not debate the truth with you or anyone else.

With that attitude, the truth can never be arrived at. It's worth mentioning that your statement is also a common one from conspiracy theorists who have no evidence to back up their theory.

 

[scombrid]

I know a few scientist who were trying to do impact studies and had all their equipment taken.

I don't and I know a lot of scientists that were and still are studying the effects of the spill on everything from plankton to mammals to turtles.

My brother was Safety Director in Valdez during the Exxon tanker spill in Prince William sound. He later died from ALS.

I'm sorry to hear about your brother's fate. However, is there an established link between this type of exposure and ALS? I personally know two people that were taken at too young and age by ALS. Neither had experienced such exposure.

 

[scombrid]

I did not say my brother's death was related.

I do not then understand why you brought it up or why it was phrased as it was.

My brother was Safety Director in Valdez during the Exxon tanker spill in Prince William sound. He later died from ALS. He knew the risk of breathing so much Benzine and toxic smoke from the burning oil.

 

[Mackdog]

I did not say my brother's death was related. My nephews worked the Exxon spill as well and they are fine. As for air quality samples...Would you like to see one of their air quality testing stations they set up? Have you been able to get a listing of where exactly they took their "Air Quality" test? Other air quality samples were taken by independent sources that showed differently but I am not the person to ask that information of. Several particular days that EPA said the air quality was good was an out and out lie. It was not good outside of my home and I am in Pensacola. We knew from experience that EPA test results were not reliable at all. If you choose to believe that then go ahead as I will not debate the truth with you or anyone else. I lived it and I was in touch with many other family members in the Louisiana and Mississippi area who also lived it.
There were local interviews done early on with many workers who stated they were not allowed to wear respirators. I saw these interviews personally myself. Look for them.. They are still out there.
As far a news coverage , of course it was on the news in Dallas that is a coastal state. It was in the LOCAL news up and down the coast. I corresponded with many up north who had no clue what was going on down here. Many of the readers of The Real Coastal Warriors, while I was admin there, shared our site because it was the only place they could see what was going on. I was personally in touch with many who were involved with politics that had no clue . We shared storied on Lisa Jackson's EPA Deepwater info site every day. We shared our views with her and each other. That is how we all became interconnected . Yes there was a frustrating amount of BS everyday but we weeded through it the best we could in order to share the truth. If there were any other doctors willing to discuss the respiratory issues caused by the Benzene and Corexit in the air I never ran into any of them. I talked to several and they were not willing to say anything absolute due to the fact that they did not want to get involved or called out on doing so. Perhaps your experience was different than mine . Maybe so but that does not mean I am incorrect because my experience was different than yours. I resent the way you have worded that remark. This is a site dedicated to the truth am I correct? I speak the truth for what I experienced . Because you did not experience the same does not mean I am being untruthful. I held out hope that this was a place where truth would indeed be shared but the manner in which you choose to do so leaves something to be desired.

I lived through the oil spill here on the Mississippi coast, but it never was really all that bad when it comes to the actual amount of oil that washed up on Mississippi beaches..just had a bunch of tar balls, and the crews cleaned them up. However, there was a significant die off of sea life, even a couple years after the spill, when dolphins and sea turtles had died in large numbers (they have stopped dying now). I know people who have worked with the Mississippi department of marine resources and they did a lot of work with the sea life after the spill, and are in the know about the effects here in Mississippi anyways. But I am not sure the extent of the damage to Louisiana first hand because I was not there. I know that the corexit caused the most health problems by far, and this is well documented, however I don't have the numbers on corexit related health problems right this moment. But there is a lot of information out there on these health problems.

 

[deirdre]

There were local interviews done early on with many workers who stated they were not allowed to wear respirators. I saw these interviews personally myself. Look for them.. They are still out there

you have made many unsubstantiated statements in your post. this is Metabunk. we work off evidence not hearsay. It is not our job to "research it", it is your job to provide the evidence of your statements.

It was not good outside of my home and I am in Pensacola

for example here... since you tested the air outside your home, why don't you just provide us the test results in stead of saying 'if you choose not to believe me....' ?

 

[Mags King]

Hi from the Gulf Coast! I have so much material to refute your derisive remarks about conspiracies etc. I have been studying the spill and aftermath for 6 years.
I can verify Beachn's statement that workers were not provided respirators. Hell. most didn't have goggles or gloves or head coverings. They had on white contam suits, tied at the waist....remember it is 98 degrees with 110 heat index. Their BP "handler" actually put his palms on my shoulders and started walking me back. These are our beaches. I was curious and walked 30 yards towards 3 groups on different days. All the same, virtually NO safety equipment and a BP guy in polo and khakis to deter pesky homeowners like me.

And I talked to several friends working on clean up boats. The planes spraying the Corexit oversprayed constantly....the guys had skin burns, rashes all over head and faces.

I will start with that one morsel, but I have a whole big bag full of shit you cannot refute or joke away
Look forward to some truth-telling

 

[Mick West]

This is an old thread that did not conform to the current posting guidelines. If people want to continue discussion of specific claims of evidence raised in this thread, then please start a new thread for the individual claim.

 

[MikeG]

Hi from the Gulf Coast! I have so much material to refute your derisive remarks about conspiracies etc. I have been studying the spill and aftermath for 6 years.
I can verify Beachn's statement that workers were not provided respirators. Hell. most didn't have goggles or gloves or head coverings. They had on white contam suits, tied at the waist....remember it is 98 degrees with 110 heat index. Their BP "handler" actually put his palms on my shoulders and started walking me back. These are our beaches. I was curious and walked 30 yards towards 3 groups on different days. All the same, virtually NO safety equipment and a BP guy in polo and khakis to deter pesky homeowners like me.

And I talked to several friends working on clean up boats. The planes spraying the Corexit oversprayed constantly....the guys had skin burns, rashes all over head and faces.

I will start with that one morsel, but I have a whole big bag full of shit you cannot refute or joke away
Look forward to some truth-telling

Start a new thread and we can go from there. The posting guidelines are here:

https://www.metabunk.org/posting-guidelines.t2064/

Anecdotal evidence is pretty limited in value.

Looking forward to hearing from you.